Below is an exceprt from my graduate work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on interdisciplinary learning and the Watershed Project:

Topic, Relevance, and Purpose:
The central topic and theme for the school and The Watershed Project is the French Broad River and the interconnected role it plays in our lives. Curriculum design for the The Watershed Project and other units of study will be guided by the use of “essential questions” instead of the traditional “objective” approach. “Essential questions are an exceptional tool for clearly and precisely communicating the pivotal points of the curriculum” and they are, “the essence of what you believe students should examine and know in the short time they have with you” (Jacobs, 2004 p.26). The essential question for The Watershed Unit is:

How have humans impacted the French Broad River and its watershed and why might this be of importance to us?

While the essential questions are grounded in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum), The Watershed Project design is also informed by the “Seven Survival Skills” framework (see Appendix 1) from Harvard Professor Tony Wagner’s work in The Global Achievement Gap. This framework emphasizes the need to teach and assess critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as fostering curiosity and imagination.

Lastly, The Watershed Project also owes much to a more holistic view of what we should be teaching in our schools . We build our curriculum on the overarching themes of education articulated by the late Earnest Boyer of the Carnegie Endowment for Education. Our interpretation of his principles leads us to believe that our curriculum should stress connections, not merely competence in isolated subjects. He suggested that we should teach the "Core Commonalities." Furthermore, professor Boix-Mansilla supports this belief and explains “interdisciplinary learning involves making fruitful connections across disciplines and subject groups in order to understand particular topics or issues” (Boix-Mansilla, 2009, p. 9).

Purpose:
The idea behind the project is to give young people throughout the French Broad watershed a curriculum that is exciting and compelling to them, relevant to their lives, and academically grounded in the NC Standard Course of Study. By establishing a meaningful connection to the French Broad River, it is our hope that this project (and the French Broad River Academy) will lay the foundation for a future generation of citizens who will value and therefore make informed decisions about the future of this precious resource and other natural resources throughout the world.

The strands of the project are:

  • A Sense of Where You Are:

Through map and compass use, GPS work, and field trips to places throughout the French Broad Watershed.

  • A Sense of the Human and Natural History of Where You Live:

Through reading texts about the history of the nation and NC as it played out in our watershed (The French Broad, Bushwhackers, and others); oral history interviews with people in this area; and work with experts on the geology and natural history of the area.

  • A Sense of the Interrelationship of Natural Systems:

Through study of water as a closed system that is one of the primary forces for life on Earth, and through specific study of how we use the water in the French Broad watershed for sustenance, work, and the handling of our waste. This strand involves many tests of the quality of water in the watershed from different sources, both tributary streams, and at different points along the main river itself. There will also be visits to some of the primary consumption sites of water: reservoirs, farming irrigation, local industries, and community sewage treatment plants. The effect of these activities, it is hoped, will give students a better understanding of how many complex issues are linked to every decision we make.

  • A Sense of Civic Systems:

Through interviews with business leaders, political officials, public servants, and community activists, students will gain a better understanding of how things get done in the American system. They will learn the network of legislation, communication, and personal interaction that leads to community change.

  • A Sense of Service:

Through encounters with people attempting to serve the human and natural community around the river, and through taking part in service projects themselves.

  • A Sense of Curiosity and Adventure:

Through activities such as field trips, as well as written reflection on their own questions about the issues they confront as they study the French Broad, it is hoped that the students will gain the experience of pursuing ideas for their own sake, rather than for extrinsic rewards.

Interdisciplinary Approach:
Interdisciplinary learning is “the process by which students come to understand bodies of knowledge and modes of thinking from two or more disciplines or subject groups and integrate them to create a new understanding” (Boix-Mansilla, 2009, p. 9). As previously stated, one of the purposes of the academy is to create capacity for interdisciplinary learning by building the bodies of knowledge and modes of thinking necessary for a new understanding about the river and its surrounding watershed. The middle school years are a critical time for establishing foundational disciplinary knowledge and practicing interdisciplinary learning. The following five reasons support arguments for interdisciplinary learning in the middle school years, or any level for that matter:

1) Building on a holistic view of students
2) Preparing students as lifelong learners and adaptable problem solvers
3) Preparing students to understand and address global issues
4) Highlighting an intellectually rigorous view of knowledge
5) Viewing teachers as dynamic professionals participating in learning partnerships and communities (Boix-Mansilla, 2009, p. 9).

While all of the reasons are valid arguments for implementing interdisciplinary learning in schools, “preparing students as lifelong learners” is part of the FBRA mission statement and therefore an interdisciplinary approach is implicitly linked to the purpose of the school.

Much of the design of the French Broad River Academy and The Watershed Project is intended to reinforce learning by connecting academic objectives to experiences on the French Broad River. There are specific aspects of the project that are interdisciplinary in the sense of the aforementioned definition and meet the following three criteria: purposeful, disciplined, and integrative (Boix-Mansilla, 2009, p. 2). The remainder of the paper will be used to examine some specific interdisciplinary units of study and some examples of what the units of study might look like in practice.

Role of Disciplines
The Watershed Project is a multi-disciplinary unit of study incorporating Science, Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Healthful Living, and Computer Skills/Technology objectives. Some of the planned activities include scientific monitoring of water quality, mathematical data analysis, oral presentation, and an in-depth study of history and heritage of the surrounding watershed. Students will also learn how to navigate using compass and topographical maps, identify point and non-point source pollution, safely paddle a canoe on a section of the French Broad River, and publish work digitally on the school website for public viewing.

The Six Disciplines of The Watershed Project

The following is a breakdown of the specific goals and objectives from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study that will be analyzed in the paper:

Science:

Competency Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
1.06 Use mathematics to gather, organize, and present quantitative data resulting from scientific investigations: Measurement.

Competency Goal 7: The learner will conduct investigations and use technologies and information systems to build an understanding of population dynamics.
7.04 Evaluate data related to human population growth, along with problems and solutions:
* Waste disposal.
* Food supplies.
* Resource availability.
* Transportation.
* Socio-economic patterns.

Mathematics:

Competency Goal 4: The learner will understand and determine probabilities.
4.06 Design and conduct experiments or surveys to solve problems; report and analyze results.

Language Arts:

Competency Goal 2: The learner will explore and analyze information from a variety of sources.
2.01 Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
* monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
* studying the characteristics of informational works.
* restating and summarizing information.
* determining the importance and accuracy of information.
* making connections between works, self and related topics/information.
* comparing and/or contrasting information.
* drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
* generating questions.
2.02 Use multiple sources of print and non-print information in designing and developing informational materials (such as brochures, newsletters, and infomercials) through:
-exploring a variety of sources from which information may be attained (e.g., books, Internet, electronic databases, CD-ROM).
-distinguishing between primary and secondary sources.
-analyzing the effects of the presentation and/or the accuracy of information.

Competency Goal 3: The learner will examine the foundation of argument.
3.02 Explore the problem solution process by:
-studying examples (in literature and other text) that present problems coherently, describe the solution clearly, sequence reasons to support the solution, and show awareness of audience.
-preparing individual and/or group essays and presentations that focus on the diagnosis of a problem and possible solutions.

Social Studies:

Competency Goal 1: The learner will use the five themes of geography and geographic tools to answer geographic questions and analyze geographic concepts.
1.02 Generate, interpret, and manipulate information from tools such as maps, globes, charts, graphs, databases, and models to pose and answer questions about space and place, environment and society, and spatial dynamics and connections.

Computer/Technology Skills:

Competency Goal 3: The learner will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
3.01 Select and use responsibly a variety of computing devices (e.g., probeware, handhelds, digital cameras, scanners) to collect, analyze and present content area information. (1)

Healthful Living:

Competency Goal 8: The learner will exhibit a physically active lifestyle (NASPE Standard 3).
Identify opportunities in the school and community for regular participation in physical activity.


New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives:
The Watershed Unit also incorporates objectives from The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, which address self-system and metacognitive thinking systems and skills. Traditionally, it is widely believed that students must master basic level skills during the adolescent, middle school years and then later attempt to master higher level thinking systems in high school and college. However, this educational approach is obsolete. “A thinking skills curriculum should be embedded in the traditional subject areas at the earliest possible grade levels” (Marzano & Kendall, 2007, p. 16).

When teachers plan units of study and lesson plans, they need to incorporate the three different systems of knowledge from the New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in order to develop the cognitive, metacognitive, and self-systems of thinking. Otherwise, students will not only struggle with their performance on assessments, but in the workplace as well where critical thinking and problem solving skills are required at almost every level for any competitive job.

New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for The Watershed Project

Level 6: Self-system Thinking

  • Examining Importance
    • 6.1 Identify how important the French Broad River (FBR) and the surrounding watershed are to him and her and articulate the reasoning in written and verbal form.
  • Examining Efficacy
    • 6.2 Identify beliefs about his or her ability to improve the condition of the FBR and articulate an action plan to improve the condition of the FBR.
  • Examining Emotional Responses
    • 6.3 Identify his or her emotional response to the degradation of the FBR and cite the evidence for the response.
  • Examining Motivation
    • 6.4 Identify his or her overall motivation to improve the condition of the FBR and the reason(s) for this motivation.

Level 5: Metacognition

  • Specifying Goals
    • 5.1 Establish a goal for improving a problem on the FBR and develop a plan for accomplishing that goal.
  • Process Monitoring
    • 5.2 Monitor progress toward accomplishment of the specified goal.
  • Monitoring Clarity
    • 5.3 Determine the extent to which he or she has clarity about the chosen problem on the FBR.
  • Monitoring Accuracy
    • 5.4 Determine the extent to which he or she is accurate about the chosen problem on the FBR.


How Disciplines Come Together:
…integration in interdisciplinary study is essentially holistic thinking, in which the different facets of a complex reality exposed through disciplinary lenses are combined into a new whole that is larger than its constituent parts, that cannot be reduced to the separate disciplinary insights from which it emerged…this process is more organic than mechanical, involving coordination as well as cooperation among disciplinary perspectives said that our curriculum should stress connections, not merely competence in isolated subjects.
                                                                                                                                         -William Newell

Based on the description of the roles of the disciplines in the previous section, it is clear that the project is disciplined. However, this only satisfies one-third of the requirements for interdisciplinary learning (see image below).

Quality Interdisciplinary Learning Criteria

The project must also be purposeful. The purpose of The Watershed Project based on Science Competency Goal 7-The learner will conduct investigations and use technologies and information systems to build an understanding of population dynamics. The specific purposes are to:

1) investigate the impact of human presence on the French Broad River and its surrounding watershed;
2) determine whether the impact is damaging to the long-term sustainability of the river and watershed, and;
3) propose, plan, and communicate a viable solution to the determined problem.

The purpose is grounded in a relevant resource that flows right through the city and is also the source of recreation and conservation activities. Therefore, the purpose of the project is concretely connected to the lives and experiences of the students and teachers, not to mention it is also the theme of the school!

Lastly, the project must also be integrative in order to produce what William Newell refers to in the aforementioned quote as “a new whole that is larger than its constituent parts.” This section will describe how some of the disciplines will be integrated in The Watershed Project. While there are many instances of integration across disciplines, I will only focus on the following example for the purpose of this paper.
Example of integration across all the disciplines
The investigation phase of the project will involve involves a clear integration of science and math since the two objectives reinforce each other and the purpose of the project. While math examples and applications are often limited to the context of an arbitrary problem in a textbook, the “design” of this experiment is based on the scientific competency goal 7 that requires one to analyze problems and solutions to population growth. In this case, the problems and solutions of population growth are based on the local river.

The measurements and analysis of data are ongoing throughout the year and therefore the students record and reflect on their findings over the course of the year as opposed to completing an isolated, random, and often irrelevant unit of study and time in one discipline. Here we can see the “elements of different disciplines (knowledge, understandings, and skills) are put into productive relationship with one another, connections are considered over time, supporting students to accomplish a new, deeper, more compelling or nuanced understanding of the topic under study” (Boix-Mansilla, 2009, p. 9).

In addition to the integration of math and science, the application of language arts objective 2.02 illustrates how “developing and designing informational materials through exploring a variety of sources.” In this case, the variety of sources are the various data sets of water quality collected by the students themselves from the river as opposed to something looked up in a book or an online data system. While this may be useful for verifying accuracy (also part of the language arts objective), one can once again experience the aforementioned “productive relationship” between the various disciplines that would otherwise not be attained in a traditional single discipline approach.

As students examine and synthesize the data they collected from the nearby river, they will begin to understand how the numbers are connected to learning and their lives. The preparation and delivery of a proposal for a chosen problem also fulfills requirements for language arts objective 3.02 while further deepening the student’s understanding of the whole rather than an individual part. Since the river and the watershed have a direct impact on their lives, students will be engaged and intrinsically motivated to produce work at a higher level of quality because of its authenticity and relevance.

By completing field experiences where students use a compass and topographical maps to determine their place and the location of the city in relation to the watershed, students satisfy social studies objectives while creating capacity for understanding how the topography of the land shapes a watershed. It is one thing to look at pictures of maps in a textbook or on a wall, but to actually hike and climb the mountains that define the watershed creates a whole new level of understanding that transcends traditional social studies practices. Going to the exact spot where the springs and creeks start answers compelling questions like, “Where does a river start?”

Lastly, the use of technology in the form of laptops and water probes to calculate the pH of water samples fulfills technology/computer skills requirements while contributing to the overall purpose of the project. Hiking, climbing, paddling a canoe, and simply being outside in the clean, crisp mountain air all address healthful living requirements while also satisfying aesthetic needs and instilling a meaningful connection with the beauty and wonder that surrounds the watershed.

As one can see, The Watershed Project is not only purposeful and grounded in academic disciplines-it is also integrative, thereby, fostering powerful, quality interdisciplinary learning experiences that can not be replicated in the traditional classroom with the standard “silo” approach where disciplines are taught separately and independently.